Organizing Your Coupons

I think one of the main reasons that couponing is such a good hobby for me is that it is all about organization. And I love organizing things. A lot. This is how I keep my coupons organized. The best advice I can give you is to find a system that works for you and go with it.

This is my file box for storing all the weekly coupon inserts. I go through the ads when I get them and occasionally cut out a coupon or two that I know I will need soon. But for the most part I leave the inserts in tack and clip the coupons when I need them.

I staple the insert together to try and keep all the coupons together. Then, I write the date of the insert on the front. As I am putting together my shopping lists from other blogs, I am able to quickly find the coupons that I need. For example, I posted this recent Target match-up:

Kraft Fat Free or Lite Salad Dressing 16 oz Bottle
$1/2 Kraft Select Products
$1/2 Kraft Dressing (1/23 SmartSource Insert)

I was able to go to the 1/23 SmartSource Insert, clip that coupon, and add it to my purse coupon file.

I carry this coupon file with me all the time. In the front (the yellow dividers), I organize coupons by product type. The blue dividers are for coupons specific to a particular store (store coupons, catalinas, etc.). When I make my shopping list, I clip or pull the coupons I need and put them behind the stores name.

When I print coupons, I tend to clip them right away and store them in my purse coupon file. It can be hard to keep track of printable coupons and this way I don't forget what I have.

Twice a month, I go through and pull the coupons expiring in the next two weeks. For example, today I pulled all the coupons from my purse file that expired by 2/15. I keep these in the front of the file just a reminder of deals to watch for.

A lot of people have asked me about how to organize coupons, so if you have specific questions that I didn't cover, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer your questions.